Ekhaya Reserves missed a chance to extend their lead at the top of ThumbsUp Southern Region Football League standings following a 2-0 defeat at the Mpira Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
It was goalless at halftime before distinct second half strikes from Sylvester Chimenya and Madalitso Hadji did the damage.
How it happened
The opening half presented a balanced contest with both teams proving to be reluctant to fully comitt in attack.
Both teams carved out half-chances and won a flurry of free kicks, but the defensive lines stood strong. Near misses and some solid rearguard action kept the tie goalless until halftime.
Right after the restart, Chilobwe United’s Sylvester Chimenya broke the deadlock in 51st minute. His searching delivery from a free-kick went past our keeper Alex Juma who put a hand to it but could not stop it from finding the back of the net, giving his side the lead.
Ekhaya Reserves attempted to respond quickly, introducing Samson Zakeyu in the 56th minute for Yusuf Nantunga in an effort to add fresh legs to the attack.
However, their task became harder as we became tamed with captain Fatsani Juwawo shown a yellow card on the hour mark for a late challenge.
Things went from bad to worse in the 70th minute when Limbani Kutambe was sent off, leaving the young Cowboys with ten men for the remainder of the match. Chilobwe seized the advantage and continued to press.
The visitors went on to double their lead in the 84th minute through Madalisto Hadji, making it a huge mountain to climb for our youngsters with the clock running down quickly. Chimenya pounced upon a defensive error at our back.
We gave it a fight in the late stages of the tie but it was a little too late anded the league leaders their third defeat of the season.
What It Means
The defeat means Ekhaya Reserves miss the chance to extend their lead at the top of the Premier Division table. They remain on 33 points, now from 14 matches, still in pole position but with the gap to their rivals potentially narrowing.
Chilobwe United’s win earns them three crucial points, moving up to third position in league standings.
Coach Autry Kalulu post Chilobwe United
“It’s disappointing to lose in that manner. We struggled to control the midfield, our defence wasn’t as solid as it should be, and the red card made things even harder for us. But this is football, one result doesn’t define us. We still believe in our title charge, and we’re going to fix the issues. I ask our supporters to keep believing; we’ll come back stronger.”
Next up
The young Cowboys will need to regroup quickly as another league fixture awaits. A return to winning ways will be vital to keep their title ambitions on track.
